


Third and Fourth Wheel, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Children, Family, Friendship, Post Bartlett Administration, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-24
Updated: 2008-08-24
Packaged: 2019-05-30 11:42:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15096005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Abbey and Noah's first date.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Part 1  
By the time Noah reaches the steps to the front door, he is  
breathing heavily from a quick jog. He lets himself in the door and  
immediately dashes for the stairs.

"Honey, what are you doing back? Dinner won't be ready for a half  
an hour." Donna looks up from her seat on the sitting room couch and  
folds her hand of cards onto the table. She was engaged in a game of  
cards with Davy when Noah unexpectedly returned home from the Concannon's.

"I...I came back early," Noah offers with a shrug.

Josh comes dashing into the kitchen from the kitchen. "Hon, do  
you want me to start the barbeque? Davy, pal, you left your toys all  
over the yard. Please pick them up before someone trips and falls in  
the pool."

Davy sets down his cards and drags himself through the living  
room to the kitchen to the backyard.

"Why did you come back early?" Donna inquires. Usually they have  
to drag Noah away from Abbey and vice versa, especially the last  
couple of weeks. Since school has let out in the last week and the  
kids are still waiting for their summer camp activities to begin,  
they've been permitted to stay home in the house without a babysitter  
for the first time. Noah is responsible for his brother and sister  
while Abbey is responsible for PJ.

"Oh, `cause Danny kicked me out. All right, call me when dinner's  
ready." Noah attempts to escape upstairs before he's interrupted.

"Whoa, hold it. Why did Danny kick you out?" Josh wonders aloud.  
CJ and Danny never mind their kids hanging around their house, just  
as the Concannon kids are always welcome in their home.

"'Cause he walked in on Abbey and I kissing. See ya later," Noah  
calls again, trying to run to his room.

"Wait! Get back here, "Donna directs. " What were you and Abbey  
doing kissing?" Donna, despite her surprise, can't help but crack a  
small smile.

Sighing resignedly, Noah realizes he has to confess the whole  
story to his parents. "Well, we're...uh...kinda..uh..going  
out.We're...um...together. We...We like each other."

"Oh my God! You like Abbey more than a friend?" Donna asks,  
pulling Noah to the seat next to her.

Noah blushes as his parents stare expectantly at him. "Yeah. I  
mean...she's really sweet and smart and pretty...and she's always  
trying to improve herself and help other people not as fortunate."

"This is so great! CJ and I have been dreaming about you two  
getting together since you were little babies sharing a popsicle,"  
gushes Donna, placing her hands on either side of her face.

"No, it's not great," Josh points out, sitting next to his son on  
the couch. " Noah, we're very close friends with CJ and Danny. If  
anything happened and you two broke up-because, let's face it, you're  
only thirteen-then that would make it hard for us with the  
Concannon's. Danny would never forgive us if you broke his little  
girl's heart."

Nodding firmly, Noah acknowledges his father's concern. " I know  
that, Dad. I'm never going to hurt Abbey. And we're gonna try really  
hard not to make this all weird for everybody."

Donna raises a thin, perfectly shaped brow. "Is that why you  
didn't tell us about it? Noah, you can't be sneaking around like that.  
We're going to have to sit down with CJ and Danny and sort out some  
ground rules now that you and Abbey are together."

"Yeah, I know. CJ told Abbey, after Abbey told her about us, that  
we had to have an adult in the house when we're together and we're not  
allowed in the bedrooms. We..uh...kinda forgot that this afternoon,  
because CJ and Danny hadn't got home from work yet and we were in the  
den watching T.V," Noah admits with a quirk of his lips.

Josh fixes his eldest son with a serious look. "Noah, you have to  
take this seriously. If you're not allowed to be together when  
there's no adult supervision then you have to respect the rules. If  
you can't show the Concannon's and us some respect than you and Abbey  
won't be able to spend time together anymore. You have to earn Abbey's  
parents' trust and prove that you're a responsible young man who will  
always treat their daughter properly. You can't be light-hearted about  
this."

"Okay, fine. If you guys come up with rules, then we'll abide by  
them," Noah agrees.

"We're gonna have to sit down and have another talk about dating  
and sex and how to treat women," Josh warns his son. He wants to be  
absolutely certain that Noah won't do something stupid and ruin his  
relationship, and by extension their whole family's, with the Concannon's.

\- * *

"Can you believe our kids?" CJ sets the tray of steaming cups of  
tea onto the coffee table in the sitting room and resumes her place  
next to Danny on the loveseat.

"Can you believe they're actually old enough to be having these  
feelings for each other?" Donna adds, accepting a mug of tea.

"Seems like just yesterday we were coaching their Little League.  
Remember that season, Danny, when they won their first game?" Josh  
chuckles aloud.

"Yeah. They only won because the other team never showed up."  
Danny can't help but grin at the memory. Part of him longs for those  
days when Abbey thought boys had cooties. It's so much more  
complicated now. He can't believe his baby girl has a boyfriend.

"Well," CJ sighs, leaning back. " They're not seven anymore and  
they are having these feelings. So I think the best way to handle  
this would be to set up some rules and boundaries so we don't have to  
worry about the kids getting into things they're not ready for.  
They're still so young. I talked to Abbey and we came up with some  
basic rules that I hope you two can employ in your house, as well."

"Of course, CJ. You don't have to worry. We'll make sure to keep  
an eye on the kids when they're over at our place," Donna assures her  
friend with a definitive nod.

"We thought it would be best if they were only allowed to be  
together when one of us is home. And they have to tell us when they're  
together." CJ glances at the adjacent couch where Donna and Josh are  
casually sitting.

"And bedrooms are absolutely off-limits!" Danny adds firmly.

"That all seems fair. We'll make sure to honour those rules in  
our house." Donna wants to ensure that CJ and Danny still feel  
comfortable letting Abbey over at their house. With the relationship  
status change, she knows they must be concerned about the time Abbey  
spends with Noah. But Donna doesn't want to encourage the kids,  
either ( they're only thirteen and they're not ready for all the  
problems associated with a serious physical relationship) so she's  
more than willing to accept the rules to protect the kids.

"I kinda figured you'd understand. But Danny is a  
little...hyper-sensitive about Abbey having a boyfriend." CJ  
cautiously locks gazes with Danny.

Exhaling loudly, Danny nods. "Of course I am. We've never had  
to deal with this before. And she's still a kid. She's not ready to  
deal with a hot and heavy relationship."

Nodding, Josh folds his hands and stares at Danny. "It's okay,  
Danny. I'm gonna sit Noah down again and have a serious chat about  
how to treat women, especially Abbey. You don't have to worry about  
him turning into a jerk and dumping her or cheating on her with  
another girl. Noah will be a respectful, courteous gentlemen at all  
times."

"We know he will be," CJ smiles honestly. "We said that we  
couldn't have picked a better first boyfriend for Abbey. And while I  
hope this works out and they'll always be together, if it doesn't work  
out then at least we know Abbey will have a good experience with a  
wonderful young man who will treat her well. I only hope the kids  
never lose their special friendship."

"I'm sure they won't. If they have to break up, maybe we can help  
make sure it's a mutual, gentle parting that doesn't leave them bitter  
and upset with each other." Donna is just so glad that Noah likes  
Abbey and not another girl who, once they got to high school in  
September, would leave him for a big, muscular football player.  
Secretly she hopes some day Noah will make Abbey her daughter-in-law.

"So now that that's all sorted out, maybe we can talk about what  
they should do for dating." CJ brings her mug to her lips and takes a  
long drink.

"I have a good idea. When I was at the club yesterday I saw a  
poster announcing a teen dance on Friday. Maybe the kids could go to  
that for their first date?" Josh suggests breezily.

"That's a great idea!" Danny agrees wholeheartedly. "We can  
volunteer as chaperones and keep an eye on them during the dance."  
Maybe this whole dating thing won't be terrible after all, Danny  
thinks to himself.

"Danny," CJ raises a brow at her husband. "They're not going to  
appreciate you being a spy all the time. They need their privacy, too."

"Well we could take them to the dance and see how it goes from  
there," Danny offers.

"Why don't we ask the kids if they want to go?" Donna suggests  
to the others.  
\- * *

 

" A teen dance at your stuffy country club?" Abbey practically  
grimaces, shoving her laundry into dresser drawers.

"Your father is very excited. He even wants to chaperone." CJ  
knows this point won't thrill her daughter. She perches on the end of  
Abbey's bed.

"Yeah, so he can watch us all night and make sure we don't have  
any fun," scoffs Abbey, turning around and fixing her mother with a  
pained look.

CJ shrugs. "Hey, it's a big change from the way he reacted  
earlier. Maybe he's coming around to the idea of you having your  
first boyfriend. In his own way, this is way of showing support. So  
let him and Josh chaperone this dance and maybe it'll be a little  
easier to convince your father to let you two go out on your own.  
Humour him a little and this could open a lot of doors in the future."

Nodding with a pronounced sigh, Abbey collapses onto the bed next  
to her mother. " All right. If we go to this dance then next time Noah  
and I can go out and do whatever we like?"

"Not anything you want. But, yes, you can probably go to the  
movies or out for dinner or something. Look, this isn't easy for all  
us, ya know. That's why we had to sit down and talk about it with Josh  
and Donna. We're trying to meet you two half-way and help. It's going  
to take your father a while to adjust to this new...phase in your life."

"All right. Then we'll go to the dance." Finally, Abbey concedes.

\- * *  
"This is so exciting. The last time we went shopping for a dress  
for Abbey was when she was flower girl in Monica's wedding. She just  
doesn't like to dress up and go shopping." CJ turns to Donna, who is  
sitting on a plastic chair next to her in the dressing room at  
Bloomingdales. They had taken a free evening this Wednesday to take  
Abbey dress shopping for the dance.

"I can't wait to do this for Ella. She refuses to wear anything  
but jeans when she isn't in her school uniform." Donna laughs lightly  
as they wait for Abbey to emerge from trying on the first dress.

" It's okay. I know at thirteen I could have cared less about  
dresses and looking nice. I think the girls will grow to appreciate it  
when they're older." CJ watches as Abbey opens the door and steps outside.

"This one is fine. Can we get it and go?" Abbey twirls around  
unenthusiastically in a dark purple gown. It's obvious she just wants  
to get this ordeal over with and go home.

"No. That one looks too old on you. Try another one," CJ  
instructs gently.

A minute later Abbey sludges out of the dressing room in a lacy,  
pastel green dress. " No way. This one is like a little girl's Easter  
dress. I look like I'm eight."

"All right. What's next?" CJ checks her watch and resumes  
chatting with Donna until Abbey appears in the next dress.

"I looove it!" Abbey exclaims, spinning around on her sneakers  
and exhibiting a long, smooth icy blue dress that reaches her ankles.

Smiling, CJ appraises her daughter. The dress rests snugly  
against the girl's torso without being tight and clingy. The bottom  
half has a layer of crinoline but it isn't too puffy that Abbey would  
think it's too girly. It's not stuffy-looking or old-fashioned but is  
feminine, modest and pretty. The blue of the dress brings out Abbey's  
eyes and contrasts nicely with her long curly red hair. "It's  
perfect. You look so pretty, honey. If that's what you want then  
we'll get it. Why don't you change and we'll go look at shoes?"

"Do you like it, Donna?" Abbey inquires with a large grin.

Donna smiles warmly and stands up. "You look beautiful, sweetie.  
After we're done here I'm going to go look for a dress shirt, tie and  
shoes for Noah. You know how boys hate shopping."  
\- * *  
" I look like an awkward nerd," Noah complains, staring at his  
reflection in the mirror in his parents bedroom Friday evening. He  
wiggles around in his suit, hoping it'll somehow settle into shape and  
make him look older and more sophisticated.

"Nah, you look fine. You're like a young James Bond," Josh  
teases, adjusting Noah's cummerbunds.

"Who?" Noah looks confusedly at his father.

Josh rolls his eyes with a twisted grin." An action hero from my  
youth."

"Abbey's gonna think I'm a dweeb. This is worse than the school  
uniform. Can't I just wear khakis and a polo shirt like I want?" Noah  
frowns.

"No. Son, you're gonna learn that sometimes men have to put a  
little more effort into their appearance to make their women gush over  
them. In other words, we just have to do what they want." Josh walks  
over to the dresser and grabs his bottle of cologne off the top.  
"Spray a little of this on. But go easy so you don't overwhelm everyone."

"How are you guys making out?" Donna enters the room and surveys  
her men all dressed up in their suits. " Oh, sweetheart, you look  
adorable."

Josh wags his brows playfully." Thanks. But what do you think of  
Noah?"

Donna swats Josh lightly across the arm on her way to the bed to  
pick up Noah's tie. "You almost ready?"

"Mom, do I have to go?" Noah asks sadly.

"Yes," Donna answers seriously. "Abbey's wearing a dress and even  
putting on make-up. She'll be so disappointed if you cancel on your  
first date."

"But I'm nervous," Noah admits with a grimace.

Tilting her head, Donna looks intently at Noah. "Why, honey?"

Hanging his head, Noah exhales deeply and decides to confess his  
fear. "I don't know how to dance. I'm going to make a huge fool of  
myself in front of Abbey and everyone at the club on our first date.  
Why couldn't we just have went bowling?"

Donna envelopes her older son in her arms. "So that's why you've  
been worried about your date all week? Oh, sweetheart, that's okay.  
Dancing is easy. Look, your dad and I can show you. Come here, Josh.  
Let's show him the basics." Donna turns on the stereo system to a C.D.  
of old love songs.

"Are you sure I'm the best example for this?" Josh chides as he  
takes Donna's hands.

"See, it's just a few simple steps," Donna informs as she and  
Josh illustrate by dancing around the bedroom.

Slowing down, Donna unravels herself from Josh's hold. "See,  
easy. Do you want to practice with me?"

Noah rolls his eyes. "Dancing with my mom. This is so  
embarrassing. I'm glad my friends aren't here to see this. All right,  
I guess I'll try for Abbey."

"That's the spirit. Just take my hands and you can count as you  
move if you like." Donna smiles as Noah awkwardly takes his mother's  
hands and attempts to move her across the room with the steps his dad  
had shown him.

Donna winces as Noah accidently steps on her toes and attempts to  
shrug it off. A few minutes later Noah breaks off, not really feeling  
much better about his dancing skills.

"That was fine, sweetie. Don't worry about it. Abbey won't care  
if you make a mistake."

"I stepped on your feet three times! I'm gonna be terrible." Noah  
shakes his head in frustration.

"Don't worry about it, champ. Let's finish getting ready." Josh  
tosses Noah his tie.

"I don't know how to tie it. Can you do it, please?"

Josh nods his head toward Donna and shares a knowing look with  
his wife. " You better ask your mom. She always ties mine."  
\- * *


	2. Third and Fourth Wheel, The

Part 2

" See, the key is to use just enough colour to play up your  
features and make it look natural and like you're not wearing any  
make-up at all." CJ sweeps a tiny make-up brush across Abbey's eyelids.

"Knock, knock. You almost ready, princess?" Danny walks through  
the master bedroom to their ensuite bathroom. "Do you really need all  
that make-up?" Danny inquires as CJ applies a light-shade of lipstick  
to Abbey's lips.

"You don't think I look nice, Daddy?" Abbey stares at her father,  
who is watching her and CJ in the mirror.

Danny grins insanely. Abbey can melt his heart just like CJ can.  
"Of course. You're absolutely beautiful. But you're always beautiful.  
I don't want you to think you need make-up or fancy clothes to make  
you pretty. You're already naturally pretty and you're a wonderful  
person on the inside."

"Thanks, Daddy, but you have to say that because you're my  
father." Abbey hears this kind of talk from her parents all the time.

" But Clinique didn't make any profits telling women they were  
already beautiful," CJ jests. "Abbey knows she doesn't need make-up  
and nice clothes to make her attractive. But sometimes it's nice for  
us to dress up and look all girly. It's all right as long as looks  
aren't very important to us. Danny, can you bring me my jewellery box?"

"Sure thing, darling." Danny goes back into the bedroom and  
leaves CJ to put the finishing touches on Abbey's make-up.

"Do you want to wear the pearls Dad gave me on our first  
Christmas as a married couple? I was so pregnant with you that I  
couldn't fly so instead of spending Christmas with our families in  
Dayton and Boston, we decided to make new traditions. That's when I  
cooked my first Christmas dinner. "

"Yeah, I guess I could wear them." Truthfully, Abbey thinks  
pearls are a little old —fashioned, but she realizes how much it means  
for her mother to lend her the jewellery for the first time. " Did  
your dinner go well?"

Laughing lightly, CJ shakes her head. "No. The potatoes were hard  
as a rock, the vegetables were practically raw and I burnt the turkey  
so bad I nearly set the house on fire." CJ glances up at Danny in the  
door jamb, holding the box and smiling joyfully at the terrible  
memory. "I was nearly in tears and I thought your nana would force  
your father to divorce me because I couldn't even manage to cook a  
turkey. But then he took me in his arms and said that it didn't matter  
if I couldn't prepare this amazing home-cooked feast for the holidays.  
And we both just broke down laughing so hard we were crying."

Abbey can't help but laugh. "So is that why Aunt Megan always  
cooks the turkey when we have a holiday meal?"

"And why we always have plenty of side dishes," Danny adds. "That  
night all we could eat were the yams Nana made, bread and salad."

CJ strings the strand of pearls around Abbey's thin neck and  
secures the matching earrings to her ears. "All right. You just need  
a dab of perfume and you'll be all ready."

"Mom, I don't know if I want to do this. I don't know how to  
dance. What if I completely screw up and step on Noah's feet or  
something?" Abbey stands up and follows her parents as they file into  
the bedroom.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie. The boy has to lead so all you do is  
try to relax and follow him. If all else fails, just take it slow and  
try to keep your steps in a confined area." CJ wraps her daughter in a  
loose hug. She's so excited for Abbey's first date and just wants  
Abbey to have a wonderful time and not worry about everything.

Just then the doorbell sounds. Sighing, Danny places his hands on  
his hips. "That's your date. I better go answer that and give him the  
third degree. This kid better have a job and no criminal record."

Rolling her eyes, Abbey pleads with her father. "Daddy, be nice  
to Noah!"

"Go answer the door," CJ motions Danny out the door. "We'll be  
down in a minute."

After CJ puts a couple spritz of perfume on Abbey's neck,  
they head downstairs, where Noah stands nervously in the foyer  
carrying a corsage in a plastic box, Josh right behind.

"Hi," Abbey greets, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. This  
is all so strangely designed.

Noah's face quirks into a dimply smile. "You look...beautiful.  
Really beautiful."

Abbey blinks rapidly and averts her eyes to the ground when she  
reaches the foyer. "You like the dress and everything? I'm really  
dressed-up. It's not usually my style."

"No, you look..." Noah steals a glance at Danny and swallows hard.  
"Great. This is a wrist corsage. My mom says a girl can't go to a  
fancy dance without a wrist corsage." He takes it out of the box and  
slides it onto Abbey's out-stretched hand.

"Thank you. Well you look really nice in your suit tonight,"  
Abbey offers as a compliment in return.

"All right, that's enough of this sweet talk. We've got a dance  
to get to." Danny shoots a warning look at the kids and ushers them  
out of the house.

"Wait a minute. Abbey, give me the hair tie." She reaches a hand  
out for the hair band wrapped around Abbey's other wrist. It had taken  
her days to convince Abbey to leave her hair half- down. CJ had taken  
a half an hour to carefully style Abbey's loose curls into a neat  
style that definitely made Abbey look more mature than her usual  
pony-tail or bun. She knows Abbey can't stand to leave her hair down  
for prolonged periods of time.

Rolling her eyes, Abbey concedes and reluctantly hands the hair  
tie to her mother.

"Have a good time,"CJ calls out the door.  
\- * *  
"Are you having a good time?" Noah inquires conversationally as he  
leans back against his chair at a table placed against a back wall in  
the country club.

Abbey considers faking another smile and pretending that this is  
the best date in the history of the world. But she decides she can't  
start a relationship by lying to Noah."This is beyond lame. None of  
the others are remotely interesting. And my father hasn't taken his  
eyes off us all night."

"Do...do you wanna try dancing?" Noah figures he has to offer.  
They've been here an hour and haven't done anything but walk around  
and drink punch.

"Ah-kay," Abbey drawls, standing up. Noah leads them onto the  
dance floor and takes Abbey's hand.

Inhaling sharply, Noah tries to duplicate the steps his parents  
had shown him earlier. Only a minute into the song, Noah loses his  
footing and steps on Abbey's foot. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry." Noah  
stops dead and his face falls in horror.

Sighing in relief, Abbey almost laughs.

"What?" Noah quirks a brow.

"It's just... I was so afraid I'd step on your toes and it  
actually makes me feel more relaxed that you stepped on mine." Abbey  
leans forward, wraps her arms around Noah and rests her head on his  
shoulder for a few seconds. She feels like a huge weight has been  
lifted off her shoulders.

"Do you wanna try again?" Noah asks hopefully. He's certain now  
that he's gotten the inevitable mistake over with, he thinks he'll be  
able to dance more comfortably.

Beaming, Abbey bobs her head. "Sure."  
\- * *

"I was consulting with Lance Norris last week and we were talking  
about the new DNC ad buys and..." Josh is cut off mid-sentence by  
Danny, whose eyes have been trained on the dance floor all night.

"Hold on a sec. Is that Abbey and Noah kissing right there on the  
dance floor in front of everyone? We... we gotta go stop that." Danny  
immediately starts bolting across the room, Josh following in toe.  
"No way is my daughter gonna be involved in public displays of  
affection in my country club."

Danny reaches the kids who are making-out as they dance, grinding  
against each other. " Stop kissing! We're going home!" He quickly  
pulls them apart, and gasps when he sees their faces.

Another older couple in outfits similar to Abbey and Noah's whip  
around and stare at Danny in confusion.

"Oh..." Danny steps back in horror. "I'm sorry. I thought you  
were my daughter. But still, you really shouldn't be doing that in  
public. Maybe you can tone it down now?"

"Dad?" Abbey asks in surprise, rushing up to the now cleared area  
of the dance floor where he had made a huge scene. She and Noah had  
been sitting at a table drinking punch. The whole room is now staring  
at them. "What are you doing?"

"I...I..." Danny struggles for an explanation. "I was just doing  
my chaperone duties. I thought these kids were you and Noah."

"Oh my God." Abbey brings a hand to her forehead and turns to the  
scolded couple. "I am so unbelievably sorry that happened."

"Abbey, it's no big deal." Danny attempts to shrug the whole  
ordeal off.

"No big deal? You just broke off this couple and yelled at them  
in front of the whole crowd," Abbey screams.

"I thought it was you," Danny reiterates. "I didn't want to step  
all over these kids' fun."

Abbey crosses her arms, fuming mad. "Just mine and Noah's? Mom  
told me you wanted to be here tonight to show us that you were trying  
to be supportive. I can't believe I ever believed that. You don't want  
us to be together at all. You came here tonight to make sure we didn't  
come with in eight inches of each other. You're out to completely  
sabotage our relationship. Well congratulations, you've ruined  
everything!" Abbey ducks her head in shame and storms out of the room.

Noah, Danny and Josh all run after Abbey.  
\- * *  
"Abbey, slow down!" Danny barks across the driveway. Josh had  
just dropped them off. The car-ride was terrible. Danny kept trying to  
explain himself but Abbey was so embarrassed and angry with him that  
she refused to hear him out.

Abbey swings the front door open violently and immediately begins  
stomping up the stairs.

"You're back early, "CJ points out, surprised to see them back at  
9:30. "Why did Abbey run upstairs?" CJ inquires as Danny closes the  
front door behind himself.

"She's mad at me," Danny offers with an eye-roll.

"Well, that's obvious," CJ retorts, rushing upstairs to Abbey's  
bedroom. "Honey?" CJ knocks on the door.

"Go away!" Comes Abbey's muffled reply.

CJ gently opens the door and steps inside Abbey's room. "Sweetie,  
what's wrong?"

Abbey lifts her head from the plush lion toy Noah had given her  
on her sixth birthday to address her mother. "He ruined my first  
date," she accuses, staring cooly at Danny, who is resting in the  
doorjamb.

"How? CJ asks, wiping hot tears from Abbey's face and brushing a  
hand through her hair. She gives Danny a look to indicate her displeasure.

" He yelled at these people on the dance floor who were kissing  
and broke them apart. It was so embarrassing. He thought it was me and  
Noah. He's determined to see that Noah and I never get within a foot  
of each other. You said he wanted to chaperone to show us that he  
accepted our relationship, but he only did it so he could spy on us  
all night. He doesn't accept our relationship at all. He just wants me  
to be his innocent little girl forever and doesn't want me to grow up  
and have the same experiences that all my friends have." Abbey can no  
longer control her tears of rage and sadness, and allows herself to  
sob erratically.

CJ wraps her arms around her daughter and hugs her close. "Danny,  
how could you behave like that?" CJ can't believe Danny would go out  
and humiliate their daughter in public that way. She knew he was  
having a hard time adjusting to Abbey's new relationship, but this was  
taking it too far.

"It wasn't that bad," Danny attempts to down-play the event,  
pulling up Abbey's desk chair close to the bed and sitting on it.

Abbey swipes at her tears and inhales sharply, looking to her  
father. "If you didn't want us to go out, why didn't you just say so  
in the beginning? Instead you made us go to that stupid dance with  
really snooty, boring kids when we didn't know how to dance and all we  
wanted to do was hang out together. You could have just banned me  
from dating."

"That would have been significantly easier," admits Danny under  
his breath.

"Danny, that would not have worked," CJ states pointedly. "Abbey,  
would you have accepted it if we had have forbid you from seeing Noah?"

"No," Abbey confesses. "We probably would have snuck around. But  
I don't wanna do that. I don't like breaking the rules. So that's why  
it's easier for everyone if the rules are fair."

" And we couldn't practically have banned you and Noah from  
seeing each other, since we're so close to the Lyman's," CJ adds. "So  
that's why we came up with a solution that would make all of us  
comfortable."

"And it would have worked if Dad could deal with the relationship  
and give us some space." Abbey is just so frustrated. She's always  
been a good kid and respected her parents' wishes. She's done nothing  
to make them distrust her, so why does her father continue to treat  
her like a rebellious child? Why can't she be trusted with Noah?

Sighing, deeply, Danny nods. "I know. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't  
have made a big scene by scolding that couple. But, God, Abbey, I  
freaked out when I thought it was you. I was upset that you could be  
behaving that way in public. Kids that do those things get a bad  
reputation. I don't want your peers spreading rumours about you that  
could make your life miserable. And I want to protect you. I know Noah  
is great guy, but it's hard for me to trust any boy with you. I just  
don't wanna see you heart-broken."

Blinking rapidly, Abbey begins to process some of her father's  
feelings. "But it would break my heart even more if you didn't let me  
see Noah. We really care about each other and we just want to hang out  
and spend time together. I promise I would never do anything I'm not  
comfortable with. I know I'm not ready to be having sex, so you have  
nothing to worry about. Noah and I are prepared to accept the rules  
you've put in place, so can't you please, please, please just leave us  
alone?"

Danny glances at CJ, who is giving him a look to say that he  
should listen to his daughter and give her some space.

"Okay, honey," Danny exhales deeply and moves onto the bed to sit  
on Abbey's other side. He envelopes her in a tight squeeze and places  
a kiss to her temple. "I'll try really hard to give you some space.  
You and Noah are good kids and you deserve to be trusted. And, I'm  
really sorry I ruined your first date. I wish I could take it back."

"Well maybe you can," suggests CJ. "You and Noah can go out  
tomorrow night and do something you enjoy, and you can consider that  
your first date."

Abbey can't help but frown at the suggestion. "Thanks, Mom. But  
this was our first date and it was a disaster. We had a terrible  
time...even before Dad humiliated us in front of everyone." Abbey  
imagines Noah is probably equally upset with her dad for being so  
controlling and not trusting them. She doesn't know what she should  
say to him when they meet again.

"What if I go talk to Noah and explain to him why I over-reacted  
to seeing those kids making-out? I'll tell him that I really do accept  
that he's your boyfriend and will, in the future, let you two have  
fun." Danny now feels awful for ruining Abbey's date because he was so  
worried about his little girl dating.

Abbey frowns, considering the offer. "I'm sure Noah doesn't want  
to see me anymore. I made a complete idiot of myself tonight."

"No, no, honey. I think Noah really cares about you and he won't  
let something stupid your father did affect his feelings for you," CJ  
states, certain that while Noah is probably scared shit-less of Danny  
right now, it doesn't mean he no longer likes her.

"Look, sweetie, I'll go sort the whole thing out right now." He  
kisses Abbey again and dashes out of the room and down the hall.

Sighing out loud, Abbey collapses into her pillows.

"Honey, I know you're upset with your father for embarrassing you  
and wrecking your date, but you have to understand that his intentions  
were honourable. He only acts like that because he loves you so, so,  
so much that it kills him to see you suffer." CJ rubs circles across  
Abbey's back.

"Well I certainly suffered tonight because of him," Abbey points  
out, looking at her mother again.

"He recognizes that now so he's going to try really hard to make  
amends. He loves you so much that sometimes he does things that make  
your life harder. And it's not that I don't love you equally, but I  
know how to consider your feelings before I let my love cloud my  
judgement of what's best for you. Your father's still working on that.  
He's torn between what he wants for you and what he knows you want. A  
good parent can reconcile the two wants and allow the child to pursue  
their desires as long as their physical and emotional well-being isn't  
compromised. Do you understand?"

"So, basically he's never had a teenage daughter before and he's  
still learning how to keep me safe while still letting me live my own  
life?" Abbey's lips curl into a brief smile.

"Exactly. And I know I always say this, but he will come around.  
I'll talk to him, yet again, about giving you some space. I think  
maybe it took this incident and seeing you so upset for him to realize  
exactly how his over-protectedness can hurt you. After today, things  
should get easier." CJ takes a tissue from the box on Abbey's  
night-stand and dabs at the mascara tracks on her cheeks. "Why don't  
you go wash your face and brush your teeth. It's been a long day and  
you should get some rest."

"Okay," Abbey responds, standing up. "But I'm gonna call Noah  
before I go to sleep."

"You can plan what you want to do tomorrow night and go out then  
and make-up for the lousy date tonight. " CJ follows Abbey to the  
kids' bathroom. "And I'm sorry if we pressured you guys into doing  
something you weren't interested in. It's just...Donna and I were so  
excited to get you all dressed up and send you on a traditional date.  
And Dad and Josh wanted to chaperone. From now on, we won't force you  
to have the dates that we ourselves missed out on when we were kids."

For the first time in a couple hours, Abbey smiles honestly.  
"Thanks, Mom."  
\- * *

"Is she still awake?" Danny greets his wife, entering their  
master bedroom. CJ is sitting up in bed reading.

"I think so," answers CJ.

"I sorted everything out with Noah. I think he's forgiven me."  
Danny sheds his suit jacket, suddenly exhausted from the night's  
events. He's too old for all this.

"Go say goodnight to Abbey," CJ instructs softly.

"You're gonna reprimand me later, aren't you?" Danny's face  
contorts into a grimace. He knows CJ is going to lecture him about  
lightening up when it comes to their daughter.

"No, Danny," CJ sighs, folding her book shut and slipping off her  
glasses. " `Cause I think you've seen how much your controlling  
over-protectedness has hurt Abbey. And that's the last thing you want  
to do. So tell me that you won't make that mistake again, and we can  
skip the long talk."

Nodding solemnly, Danny responds, "Yeah. Now I understand how she  
feels. I'm going to try to be more understanding and accommodating.  
You know, sometimes I wish we had two boys. Pat is never this hard to  
deal with. Whose bright idea was it to have teenager daughters,  
anyway?" Giving his head a shake, Danny heads back into the hall,  
leaving CJ grinning because she knows that Danny wouldn't be able to  
live without his girl.

"Hey, sweetheart, can I come in? Danny calls softly into Abbey's  
door.

"Yeah," Abbey replies lightly. She rolls around under the  
blankets to face the bedroom door.

"I talked to Noah," Danny informs her, stepping toward the bed.  
"I think he's forgiven me. The question now is, have you?" Danny  
perches on the end of the bed and looks hopefully into his daughter's  
eyes.

Pausing, Abbey considers. After the crying and lashing out, she  
feels like she's gotten her frustration, anger and hurt out of her  
system. She doesn't need to be upset with her father anymore and carry  
a grudge. He made a mistake, but it was only because he thought he was  
looking out for her best interest. "Yeah, I guess so. As long as you  
know that I can be making decisions for myself now and maybe you don't  
always know what's best for me. You and Mom have raised me well so  
far and I know how to be safe and make informed decisions. So you  
don't have to worry as much as you think you should. I know you'll  
never stop worrying, but I've got to be able to handle my own life,  
with your opinions and suggestions, but not decisions. If I make  
mistakes, then I'll just have to live with the consequences."

Danny takes Abbey's hands and bobs his head. "All right,  
sweetheart. I can live with that, so long as you promise not to cut us  
out of your life. It's hard for me to imagine that someday Noah might  
take my place as the most important man in your life. But, that's  
something I'm just gonna have to deal with it and it isn't your  
problem. For now, you and Noah can go out. I told Noah that we'd drive  
you to and from wherever you want to go tomorrow. As long as we know  
where you are going and what you are doing, you don't have to have us  
tagging along."

"Thanks, Daddy. I'll call Noah and make plans." Abbey is glad the  
whole ordeal is over with. It's been an emotional night and she's  
ready to crash.

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna go and get out of this suit. Sleep well,  
baby." Danny draws Abbey into his arms and drops a kiss to her crown.

"Night, Daddy,"Abbey responds as Danny stands up and heads toward  
the hallway.

"I love you, princess. Never forget that. It's the only reason I  
sometimes behave irrationally." Danny swallows hard as he closes his  
daughter's door. He hears Abbey call "I love you, too," through the  
door. He wonders to himself how he got so lucky to be blessed with  
such a wonderful family, even if they drive him crazy sometimes.  
\- * *  
"So, did you have a good time tonight?" Noah inquires casually,  
licking the last of his ice-cream and tossing the Styrofoam cup in the  
trash can.

"You mean in comparison to last night?" Abbey faces her new  
boyfriend as they wait at the sidewalk outside the ice-cream parlour.  
Donna and CJ should be picking them up in a few minutes.

"I mean...just generally," Noah elaborates. Truth be told, nothing  
could be worse than their first date, but he wants to make sure Abbey  
enjoyed herself.

Grinning, Abbey reaches a hand out to take Noah's hand in hers.  
"Definitely. A museum and then ice-cream; that's so much more our  
style. Did you?"

Noah's lips curl into a dimply smile. "Yeah, except there was one  
thing I wanted to do last night that I never got a chance to."

"What's that?" Abbey wonders aloud.

Taking Abbey's other hand so that he holds both, Noah leans in to  
capture Abbey's lips in a slow, deliberate kiss. He releases one hand  
to bring up and gently touch Abbey's cheek. Her lips taste like  
chocolate chip mint.

Sighing, Abbey breaks off after a minute. "Mhmm. I think I've  
given you the wrong impression by letting you kiss me on the first  
date." She laughs throatily to deliver the full effect of her tease.

Noah responds with a light chuckle. "That's okay. Your reputation  
is untarnished because technically we didn't kiss on our first date."

"Just like five or six times before it," Abbey points out,  
laughing gleefully as Noah reclaims her hand and squeezes it  
affectionately.

"I have a really good feeling about us," Noah relays, with more  
confidence then he's displayed in front of Abbey since their very  
first kiss.

Staring deeply and seriously into Noah's eyes, Abbey nods  
certainly. "Me, too."

The End. Cheers to all who read!

 

Feedback is encouraged and appreciated


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